One of the key phrases used by SEO agency staff around the globe is ‘Content is King’ but this is far from the truth. Whilst content is essential to successful content marketing, what is of most importance is trust and the relationships between you and your audience.

1. Content Isn’t King, Trust Is
One of the key phrases used by SEO agency staff around the globe is ‘Content is
King’ but this is far from the truth. Whilst content is essential to successful
content marketing, what is of most importance is trust and the
relationships between you and your audience.
The goal of content marketing is to build and maintain trust between your
business and your potential customers. The small business world is an example to
all as familiarity and word-of-mouth recommendations are what make it tick and
it’s a clear indicator of how trust can make or break a business. Making your
content marketing work takes more than simply hiring an SEO agency as you need
to look at what you’re saying and the way you’re saying it. Here’s a closer look at
some of the industry leading content marketing tips to develop and build trust.

2. Stick to your own Ground
Save your best content for your personal domains. There are hundreds of
cheap channels to spread your content since social media has taken off
and they have huge value when it comes to ensuring as many people as
possible have access to your content. Social media can act as an outpost
for your business, directing all interested parties back towards your
website – your home where all the golden content lies. Your own site
should provide every visitor with something they need whether it’s an
answer to a question or the product they need. Quality content is the
beginning of a relationship with your customer upon which trust can be
built.

3. Be a Helping Hand
Content marketing is all about developing trusting relationships which
result in business transactions. A positive way of ensuring this happens is
to be approachable and to happily answer customer questions, clearly and
transparently. If you have the opportunity to refer back to your product or
service in the answer, by all means do it, but you need to avoid appearing
like an advertisement at all costs. If you simply remind prospective
customers that you offer X, Y and Z at certain prices, you’re not engaging
them and they’ll switch off. You’re just a salesman.
Pushing sales does not build trust. You’ll build trust by providing your
audience with guidance and help when they need it. The hard sell very
rarely works.

4. Write what your Readers Want
This may sound like common sense but you’ll be surprised by the number
of businesses who don’t do it. Plenty of branded blogs and websites are
packed with content that is of no interest to anybody but themselves. You
need to write what your readers want to read, whether this is ascertained
by asking them through outright means such as social media channels or
by monitoring their behavior, either way you’re able to take note of the
types of content they enjoy and replicate it in your own voice and style.

5. Reference Industry Leaders
You may have no doubt that you’re product or service is the best in the
industry but there are other people who’ve been at it longer and are
already well thought of. Referencing these people will earn you brownie
points with your customer base and engagement levels will improve. It
doesn’t make sense to cite your direct competition of course but
referencing experts in your field is a good way of putting across your point
or even giving an opinion that differs or improves upon the point they’ve
made. In many instances the people you’ve referenced will be happy that
you’ve mentioned them and they may even promote your content in
return, for free!

6. Conclusion
Content marketing can be difficult to strategies but it is completely
possible. You need to keep your target market in mind at all times and give
them what them with what they want to see. It’s clear to see that content
isn’t king, it’s simply the means to the results you want.